Blog: All over the world

Harmony Day is a celebration of cultural, racial and religious differences, promoting respect, fairness and a sense of belonging for everyone.

Harmony Day is celebrated in March every year with schools across the country organising events that celebrate the cohesive and inclusive nature of Australians.

It’s a day where activities and celebrations help students to understand how Australians of different backgrounds live together.

It provides a great opportunity for students to learn that not only do they share common ground with other cultures, but also that our differences make Australia a special place to live.

All the different cultures that come together in Australia bring many things with them: different foods, ways of dressing, languages, customs and beliefs.

Harmony Day is about celebrating these differences and learning about new cultures.

We celebrated Harmony Day this week at the school where I teach. It was a fabulous day where all the students took part in short group activities that rotated throughout the morning. Then after lunch the whole school came together to enjoy a ‘Cultural Expo’ where families of the children had a table to display their country of origin. There were 15 tables representing countries such as: Indonesia, China, Persia, Venezuela, Croatia, United Kingdom, France, India, Japan, Bahrain, USA, Australia and Spain. Most tables had traditional food, costumes, artifacts and interesting facts about the country. The children were in groups and packed their bags, grabbed their passports and boarded the imaginary plane and went from country to country. When they got to each table, their passports were stamped and cross-cultural exchanges began. Children tried foods they had never experienced. Saw items for the first time and learnt about them. Played special musical instruments. Enjoyed learning about the types of things from another country. A lot of parents and grandparents took part in the expo and wore traditional costumes. The expo was opened with one young girl in traditional Indian dress performing a special dance.

During the middle of the hustle and bustle of the afternoon I stopped and looked around. It was so exciting to see all of our children sharing experiences from other countries and really thriving on the excitement the expo provided. It made me think back to my own childhood experiences at primary school and about there never being anyone from any other country. I grew up in a small town where going to the Chinese restaurant was like another land, and by far the biggest thing for the year was celebrating St Patrick’s day with the Irish community and I thought that was all about green beer, and leprechauns!

I completely admire the children at our school and in our community. They are from all over the world and have united in such a way that it truly shows the multicultural society we have in Australia and thoroughly encompasses the inclusion of all our differences.

9 Responses to Blog: All over the world

Durham was a very diverse city, and the elementary school my kids attended had children from 42 different countries. 15% of the kids at their school spoke English as a second language. It was such a wonderful environment and a great way for children to learn about different cultures and to celebrate our differences and our similarities. I love the name “Harmony Day”, too – looks like a really fun event!

Girl Scouts celebrate Thinking Day every February 22nd. It is a day when Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world celebrate the beginning of the organization. This year the troops in my area had an event with 23 countries represented. It was so much fun watching the girls move “around the world”, learning about different cultures, playing games, tasting new foods and realizing how much we are all the same. Every opportunity like this brings us closer together.

I love this event as well, and we could all benefit for more opportunities to learn about one another. The description of passports and boarding planes reminds me of a similar event our Girl Scout service unit hosted for Thinking Day one February. Many happy memories s the girls learned, shared and developed appreciation for a rich diversity. Great page, but be sure to include another page with your great words as well!

Love this event and what it signifies. I wish they’d done it when I was younger after moving from a country town. Also wish they’d done it when my children were in primary school – there were so many cultures to celebrate in their small primary school community. I’m also loving your page of photos and what they represent!

It’s such a great experience for kids to have exposure to other cultures! When my kids were little we hosted international students for 4 years. I made an album of that time and have fond memories of all the things we learned. I will never forget them, and I’m sure they have never forgotten us. It was a wonderful way to step off of our soil without leaving. What a fun way for your school to celebrate this Kerrianne!